It was a beautiful day! The
sun shone brightly through the tiny bedroom window. Grandma had planned that
this would be the day for making a very special birthday gift; a day she had
planned for a long time. After all, grandchildren should have the most special
of gifts.

Slowly, she pulled her
covers back and gently slipped her feet out of bed and into her favorite
slippers, now worn and a little tattered with age. With a smile on her face, she
made her way into the kitchen for breakfast.

While she ate her meal, she
made a list of everything she would need to make her special gift. She must buy
cloth; not just any cloth but that deserving of a grandchild. She would need
needles and thread and, yes, yarn would be nice, too. She must buy colors that
would become a memory in her grandchild's heart!

After breakfast and dressed
for the day, Grandma opened the door and walked out into the bright sunlight. A
brightly colored bag over her arm; she was off on the short walk to the store.
Her bag would soon hold the supplies she needed to make her special birthday
gift.

Once in the store, Grandmas’
eyes twinkled as she touched the colorful cloth before her. There was cloth of
puppies, kittens, circus animals, bears and then...... There, across the
counter, was the cloth that was fit for a grandchild! It was as blue as the
colour of the sky! Brilliant stars of red and yellow and green and robin egg
blue burst forward; with white shining rays gently sprinkling stardust over the
beautiful stars! Now this, thought Grandma, was perfect for her grandchild's
special gift! This would make the precious “Grandma’s Quilt” she had been
planning for so long.

She chose thread of robin
egg blue and yarn the colour of the stars. She bought needles and thread and
everything she would need that was on her list. Again, she smiled as she thought
of her gift; after all, only a Grandma could make a Grandma’s Quilt. This would
be the quilt to hug her grandchild on the days she could not be there herself!!!
Holding her bag firmly under her arm, she walked the short distance home.

Grandmas’ eyes were not as
good as they once had been but she put on her old glasses and with her heart so
full of love and excitement, she began creating her gift. Long into the night
she worked. The whirrrrrr of her sewing machine filled the room as she
concentrated on her task.

As the hours slipped by,
Grandma realized that this was not going to be an easy task. The day had fallen
into darkness as she rose from her chair and tried to admire the beginnings of
her quilt. Much to her dismay, the quilt was not square! Furthermore, the quilt
would never be big enough to cover a bed! Grandma sighed, as she walked slowly
to her bedroom. Her heart was full of dismay. She felt the gift must be
deserving of a grandchild; but in her heart her gift was not deserving today!

Grandma crept into bed. She
tried to plan how she would make her quilt beautiful tomorrow and while doing
so, fell asleep. Tomorrow would be another day.

The next morning, the sun
shone brightly once again through her tiny bedroom window and once again,
Grandma pulled back the covers and slipped her feet into her favorite old
slippers. With a smile on her face, she made her way into the kitchen for
breakfast.

Over the years she had grown
through her wisdom. She had grown to know that a “tomorrow” was a new beginning.
Today would be the day she would make her beautiful gift; after all, she need
only remove the stitches she had sewn the day before and patiently begin her
task again.

Once again the sound of the
sewing machine could be heard through the day and into the night. Grandma was
making a gift deserving of a grandchild, a gift that was made with love from her
heart. Once again the day fell into darkness and Grandma rose from her chair
and tried to admire the beginnings of her quilt. Much to her dismay, the quilt
was not the beautiful quilt she had planned. Grandma did not realize that
although her eyes had grown weak over her many years, she must see her gift
through her heart as well as her eyes!

Grandma crept into bed. Her
grandchild’s’ birthday would soon be here. As she thought of “tomorrow” she fell
asleep hoping for a better day.

The next day Grandma was up
before the sun could shine though her bedroom window. Once again, she began her
task anew. The old rocking chair creaked as Grandma rocked and gently sewed the
pieces of cloth and her feeble fingers held a needle and thread! She would make
the most beautiful quilt deserving of a grandchild! She would sew the quilt with
her hands!

Hours slipped by as Grandma
worked. A quiet fell over the house with the exception of the birds chirping
near the window by which Grandma sat and the creaking sound of the old rocking
chair. Hours later, Grandma opened her bag of yarn and carefully selected the
yarn the color of robin egg blue. As time passed, she made her quilt into the
best square shape she could. It was now time to sew the beautiful blue yarn into
the knots that would hold her quilt together.

Grandma rose from her chair
and began to admire her beautiful quilt. Today, she had added to her gift the
one thing she could not buy from the store..... She had added love from her
heart! After all, she realized, it was a Grandma’s Quilt and Grandma’s Quilts
are seen only through a grandchild's' precious eyes! “Yes”, she thought to
herself, her grandchild would now have a gift that was deserving of a
grandchild! Grandma had seen through her eyes AND her heart as she stitched the
label to her finished quilt.

Grandma smiled and tears
came to her eyes as she thought of her grandchild. Her eyes glanced down to the
label she had sewn onto the beautiful quilt. The quilt had been made for her
grandchild's memory but the words were meant for her Grandchild's heart in the
years to come. “HAND SEWN WITH LOVE BY YOUR GRANDMA’S HANDS!”